


Saturdays with Victor

by Xenotopsy



Category: Love Victor (TV 2020)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pilix Friendship, felix POV, sleepover, velix - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25076863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenotopsy/pseuds/Xenotopsy
Summary: Felix spends every single Saturday with Victor and can’t help but fall for him.
Relationships: Mia Brooks/Lake Meriwether, Victor Salazar/Felix Weston
Comments: 24
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t really been in a fandom for years. My other works are just continuations of drafts I had from 2016. I really enjoy writing and certain elements of Love, Victor left me unsatisfied compared to the rest of the show, which I adore. Also, Benji doesn’t exist.

I spend every Saturday at the Salazar household. Granted, I spend most days there, but I haven’t spent a Saturday in my apartment since they moved in.

On Friday nights I sleep over after school, we spend the day doing something (or nothing, depending on the Saturday), and turn on a movie late at night that doesn’t finish until after midnight. It just became a routine. And I never miss a Saturday.

I had a pair of pajamas in my backpack so that I wouldn’t have to go upstairs. I sat down for lunch and Lake was the only other person at the table.

No one tells you how awkward it is to remain friends with someone you dated. There are no hurt feelings, and everything is normal when you’re with people, but the second you’re alone together you start sweating like a whore in church. But without a specific reason.

“Lake,” I said, setting down my French toast sticks. “How has your day been?”

“We had a lab in bio and Teddy was my lab partner,” she said.

“Ouch.” Mia sat down next to Lake in what was essentially her assigned spot. She set her grilled cheese on a napkin in front of her.

“I had Andrew,” she said. “But at least we got a 90.”

“Teddy didn’t know what month it is,” Lake said. “It’s the 17th.”

“Of July?” I asked.

“Haha,” Lake said. Because once Mia sat down, everything between us was normal. It was like we had never dated.

She had come to my door in tears. At least, I assume she was in tears. When I met her right outside of Victor's door she was crying.

A million thoughts ran through my head at once, but I vocalized none of them. “Lake, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“I love you so much,” she said. “But I can’t date you.”

“What are you saying?” Her words were really contradictory.

She wiped her eyes. The red was starting to fade from her face. “I platonically love you so much, but I think I like girls,” she said.

“I completely understand,” I said and pulled her into a hug.

“You do?” she asked. I looked down at her in my arms and nodded. “I’m also in love with Mia.”

Victor sat down at the lunch table next to Mia. I grabbed the sausage off of his tray and he grabbed my cantaloupe.

“Felix, can I talk to you for a second?” he asked. I nodded and we walked over to the vending machines.

I grabbed a dollar out of my pocket and prayed that the conversation would be long enough for me to get a lemonade.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Mia wants to get dinner tomorrow,” he said. “So you can sleep over tonight and I’ll be back to watch Sixteen Candles, but I’m not gonna be home all day.”

“That’s fine,” I said.

“Really?”

“Of course. But if you think I’m missing your mom’s enchiladas you are dead wrong.” He laughed and grabbed my lemonade from the bottom of the machine. We walked back over to the lunch table.

“Victor,” Lake said. “You never told us where you got that jacket.” I looked over at Victor. He had told me after school the next Monday the real story of his “Boys Trip” after I denied the plausibility of his dad planning something on a Saturday.

“I already told you guys that my dad got it for me because it was cold on the lake where we were fishing,” Victor said.

“I know that,” Lake said. “But I’m pretty sure they sold that exact jacket at the place next to Brasstown when we were in eighth grade.”

“When I lived in Texas?”

“Is that Felix’s?” Lake asked. I was about to confirm and take the bullet when Victor cut me off.

“If I tell you guys where I got it would you promise not to tell anyone?” Lake nodded, looking pleased with the result. Mia looked over at me and I nodded. She nodded, hesitantly.

“It’s nothing illegal, right?” she asked.

“Definitely not,” I said. Victor gave me a look. I probably shouldn’t have said that, but Mia just looked relieved.

“I didn’t go on a Boys Trip,” he said. His voice had dropped to a whisper, not that any of the other students were listening. “I was in New York with Simon Spier.”

Lake and I shared a look. Everyone at Creekwood knows who Simon Spier is and everyone knows why he’s a legend. I can’t imagine any straight boy would ever lie to his family and friends to visit him in an entirely different state.

“Why were you with Simon?” Mia asked. Because of course, she was thinking the exact same thing as Lake.

“Apparently, my mom met his mom and she wanted me to check out NYU,” he said. “Obviously she doesn’t know who Simon is or she wouldn’t have let me go.”

I tried to look at Victor in a way that said, “This will be a hard lie to keep up next time Mia sees your mom.” I think he understood because he gave me a look that I interpreted as “I’m telling her the truth at dinner tomorrow.”

Mia was satisfied with the answer she got, and so was Lake, so the rest of lunch was mostly goofing off. And when the last bell rang at 2:25 we continued goofing off the whole walk home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday with enchiladas and Pilar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To go into more detail on Benji, vis-a-vis, not existing; I feel like his character caused a lot of unnecessary drama and that Victor’s first big gay crush could have been Felix without causing Mia so much pain. Nothing against George Sear, but everything against Benji.

At 4:45 on Saturday, Victor left to grab Mia and take her to dinner. I sat on his couch on my phone waiting for Isabel to finish the enchiladas.

I heard someone sit down next to me. I looked over and saw Pilar. “How are things going with Lake?” she asked.

“She broke up with me last week,” I said.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. It’s all good, she explained her reasoning just fine and we hang out all the time.”

“Is that why you were sobbing and watching The Fault in Our Stars with Victor last week?”

“Well, I was sobbing because it’s a sad movie.”

“I didn’t cry,” Pilar said. “But my mom was in the other room dropping dishes while making pancakes, so I was too busy laughing.” I smiled.

This wasn’t the first time we had hung out since our coffee date. When Victor has bronchitis, Pilar, and I made him soup together. We didn’t really talk much, though.

“Hey,” Pilar said. “I don’t know Mia as well as you do. Is she good enough for my brother?”

“In my opinion, no one is good enough for him,” I said. “That being said, Mia is wonderful and way out of his league.” I tried saying as little as possible so that Pilar didn’t hurt after hearing the news.

“Can we talk in my room?” she asked. “My mom is about to start pouring hot chicken all over herself and I don’t want her to hear me laughing.” I laughed and stood up.

“I heard that, Pilar!” Isabel shouted from the kitchen.

We walked into Pilar’s room. I always expect it to be messier, but she and Victor have cleaner rooms than any other teenager on the planet. Well, besides Mia, but I’ve only seen her room at a party.

She picked up some CDs off of her floor and set them neatly in a box of other CDs. “Sorry about the mess,” she said, picking up a hairdryer. “I think Adrian was in here.”

“Clearly, you haven’t been to my apartment.”

“I don’t even know if Victor has seen it,” she said.

“The only person who has is Lake.”

“And you don’t have your eye on anyone else? How serious was this week-long relationship?”

“I may or may not have a crush on someone at the moment.” That was most definitely too much to say.

“You do?” she said with excitement. “Who? Does Victor know?”

“I can’t tell Victor,” I said. “It’s complicated.”

“Is it Mia? Felix, you can’t.”

“It’s Victor.” Pilar went silent. She sat for a second processing what I said.

“As in Victor Salazar?”

“I shouldn’t have said anything.” I started playing with my hair. She pulled me into a hug. I didn’t realize until I relaxed into her arms how tense I had been. I wrapped my arms around her.

“So is that why you aren’t upset about Lake?” Pilar asked.

“No,” I said. “I’m bi. I’m not upset because she explained herself very well.”

“That’s really vague.”

Adrian opened Pilar’s door. “Mom says the only boy you’re allowed to have in here is Jesus,” he said. Pilar groaned.

“Than what are you doing in here?” she asked.

“Mom told me to.” I laughed and stood up. I ruffled Adrian's hair on my way out the door.

Pilar and I sat down on the couch and watched Modern Family until the enchiladas were done. We sat down at the table where it was Pilar’s turn to say grace.

“Bless this meal before us,” she said, “and bless this family. Both biological and the additions along the way. Amen.” She gave my hand a small squeeze before letting go to sink her fork into an enchilada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three should be up tomorrow, but I am unsure of whether or not chapter four will be up on Tuesday. After that I plan on committing to a biweekly schedule for chapter updates.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watching movies and taking phone calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Velix isn’t the biggest ship, but if you’re reading this you probably agree that it’s a good one. The only way for it to really work is lesbian Lake and Mia because clearly there’s not other way Lake and Felix would break up. There’s also so many scenes in the show that hint at Lake and Mia, but that’s also just how best friends are. But if the entire friend group is gay it’s more accurate to a high school friend group.

When Victor got back around seven, Pilar and I were washing dishes. He immediately ran over and grabbed the plate out of my hand.

“Felix,” he said, “did Pilar make you help on her dishes night?”

“I offered,” I said. “I ate as many enchiladas as anyone else.”

But,” Pilar said, “he can stop now, I think I have it under control. He has to pick out a movie with you, no?”

“We’re watching Sixteen Candles,” I said.

“Or something else. Go choose something else to watch with Victor.” She wanted me to stop washing dishes. Because she’s playing wingman. Or technically wingwoman.

Victor grabbed my hand and pulled me into his room. Before I had turned the corner I saw Pilar giving me a thumbs up.

I sat down on his bed cross cross apple sauce. “Did you tell her?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “It made for an awkward dessert course, but I think we’re still friends.”

“That’s nice,” I said.

I don’t know whether or not Victor could feel the tension in the air. It felt so weird that Pilar knew a secret about me that Victor didn’t.

“Felix,” Victor said. “Did I do the right thing?”

“Of course,” I said. “You told the truth before you hurt her.” Hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite. “No one should live a lie.” I’m a goddamn hypocrite.

“Thanks.” He sat down next to me and my breath caught. He pulled me into a hug and I thanked God people can’t see your face while hugging. I could have been cast as a love action Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. If he was Rudolph the Red Faced Reindeer. And not a reindeer. I was really red.

“What about Ponyo?” I asked.

“Never seen it.”  
“You’ve never seen Ponyo?” I asked, utterly shocked. “I’m gonna get some ice cream a go grab the DVD. You’re in for the night of your life.”

I walked out of Victor’s room and into the living room. Pilar was back to watching Modern Family. She paused the TV to look at me.

“Having fun?” she asked.

“Shush,” I said. “He’s in the other room. I’m just getting Ponyo and ice cream.”

“What’s Ponyo?”

“Okay, go to Victor’s room. You’re joining us.”

“I’m leaving the second anything goes down between the two of you,” she said.

“Not gonna happen,” I said. “I’m a closeted coward.” Pilar laughed and walked into Victor’s room.

I came back to the apartment with the movie. I felt weird about walking into the apartment without knocking, but Armando told me that I’m no longer allowed to knock on Saturdays. It still feels like I’m intruding.  
I walked into Victor’s room with three ice cream bowls in one hand and the movie case in the other. After handing them their preferred flavors (raspberry sorbet for Victor, chocolate moose tracks for Pilar, and mint chocolate chip for myself) I sat down next to Victor on the edge of his bed.

I cannot work his DVD player. There are forty million buttons, half of which do nothing and another third need the force of three grown men to function. When Victor walked over to put the movie in, he had to press three different buttons to eject last weeks movie.

He sat down next to me and handed me the remote. I was about to press play when my phone started going off. I set the remote down on his end table and grabbed my phone. It was Lake. I pressed the green circle.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.

“I only have a minute, Mia’s in the bathroom,” she said. “You’re with Victor, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Can you put it on speaker?” I turned my phone around to show Victor who I was talking to and pointed at the speaker button. He nodded.

“You’re on,” I said.

“I am so proud of you,” Lake said. “Can you call Mia in a few minutes? She has a few things she wants to say, but she refuses to call first.”

“Thank you,” Victor said. I looked over at him and noticed he was a little bit teary-eyed. “That means so much and-“

“Got to go,” Lake said, accompanied by the muffled sound of a toilet flushing. She hung up.

Victor and Pilar both looked at each other. Pilar looked a little bit confused, but Victor’s eyes were full of fear.

“So you heard what Lake said,” he said. Pilar nodded and hugged Victor even tighter than she had hugged me. Victor melted the same way he did when I hugged him on the sidewalk. From behind Victor I could see Pilar’s face.

“You have a chance,” she mouthed.

“I’m a closeted coward,” I mouthed back. She smiled and pulled away. I turned ever so slightly so that I could see Victor’s face. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was wearing his adorable crooked smile.

If I had any doubts about liking him, I would have been reassured every time he smiles. He smiles in a way that makes you smile back and you can feel the physical embodiment of the warmth his smile shows. And he’s the happiest person alive right now, so I became the second. There was no doubt that I was as red as a tomato with a smile as wide as one.

When Victor grabbed his phone to call Mia, Pilar and I went to the living room to give him some privacy.

“Did you know?” she asked.

“Of course, I’m the second person he told.” Well, technically, the sixth, but all five of them were a group. And he technically didn’t tell them.

“Who was the first?” she asked.

I dropped my voice even quieter than a whisper. “Simon Spier.”

“He knows Si-“ Pilar yelled.

“Shush,” I said. “For one thing, your parents still don’t know he’s gay. For another, even when he does tell them, they can’t find out about Simon.”

“Why not?”

“He lies about a basketball camp to see him in New York.”

It felt like he was on the phone for three hours, but it was only twenty minutes. He came to get us from the living room and Pilar was asleep next to me. I nudged her awake and brought her by the hand into Victor’s room. We sat on Victor’s bed and I pressed play.

We were all silent for the whole movie, but mostly because we had all fallen asleep during the opening trailers. It had been one long Saturday.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Approaching Spring Break and making plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve already watched Love, Victor four times and I’m starting it for a fifth time somebody help me. Also, if you noticed that I changed the rating it’s just for language all content is still PG :)

School on Monday was a blast. Monday through Wednesday were all half days before Spring Break on Thursday. And at that point, the teachers cared less about education than the students. In Health, Ms. Thomas let us do whatever we want for our mental health, but she just doesn’t want to deal with us. Mia, Lake, Victor, Andrew, and I all slid our desks together.

“Not one of you posted anything on Instagram this weekend,” Andrew said. “Did you guys do anything or did you just sit still for 48 hours?”

“Actually, Victor broke up with Mia, Felix was basically adopted by Pilar, and I spent the weekend playing Just Dance with Mia,” Lake said.

“Y’all broke up?” Andrew asked. I nodded.

“And he has a perfectly valid reason that he doesn’t need to explain to you,” I said. I wasn’t about to have Andrew messing with Victor.

“Felix, it’s fine,” Victor said. “Mia is an amazing person, but I’m into guys.”

“And we talked about it and we’re fine,” Mia said. Andrew seemed to care less than everyone else at our little makeshift table. To be fair, he doesn’t talk to us often.

“Let’s hang out on Thursday,” he said. “I don’t know anything about you guys anymore.”

“Did you know about us before?” Lake asked. 

“Well, no,” Andrew said.

“I’m free on Thursday,” Victor said. The rest of us checked our calendars and we all happened to be free on Thursday. “Wait, actually Adrian has something.”

“What about Saturday?” Andrew asked.

“No,” Victor and I said in unison. Andrew raised his eyebrow.

“They have a weekly sleepover,” Lake said.

“And we’re making a chocolate cake because his parents are going with Adrian to a birthday party in Graham and can’t stop us from eating an entire cake,” I said. I’m not really a fan of Lake mocking our Saturdays when she does the same thing with Mia but unofficial.

“Hold up,” Andrew said. “Why don’t the three of us join you? Your parents aren’t home and it’s Spring Break.”

“So just the five of us and Pilar?” Victor asked. Andrew nodded. “Are you two free?”

Lake and Mia looked at each other. Mia nodded. “We’re in,” Lake said with a smile. “Pilar won’t snitch?”

“We’re all good on that front,” I said. Victor looked over at me. “I’ll tell you later,” I mouthed. But the final bell rang and later became right away.

Andrew, Lake, and Mia grabbed their bags and walked out of the classroom. Victor and I stayed back.

“Are you dating my sister?” he asked. I almost laughed but figured that would be rude.

“Heavens no,” I said. “We just hang out when you’re not home. She’s a friend and that’s it.”

“I’m sorry,” Victor rambled. “My mom said,”

“We were hanging out in her room and your mom assumed. We were just talking.”

“That’s what I thought, but she was sleeping on your shoulder, and what you said, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I grabbed my bag and stood up. “Now, I’m hankering for a Frappuccino and you have work to do.” He smiled and we walked to Brasstown together.

I sat down at my usual table while Victor went into the bathroom to put his t-shirt on. I pulled out my phone and saw 24 texts. A group chat. Nasty.

Apparently, Lake, Mia, and Andrew had been discussing plans for the sleepover. Plans that involve staying up until three in the morning. I am so thankful that my best friend is a barista.

I texted Pilar to let her know the plan. I had just sent the text when Victor walked out of the bathroom. He still had fifteen minutes until his shift started, so he sat down across from me.

When he sat down he smiled. I don’t know how much longer I can go without telling him, especially when he smiles. And he’s been smiling a lot recently.

“You sure you wanna be here for my entire five-hour shift?” Victor asked. “You’re gonna get lonely.”

“Five hours here occasionally talking to you is way better than five hours alone at home,” I said.

“But Lake and Mia are usually here.”

“I’m fine Victor.” I looked into his eyes which are the most gorgeous shade of brown. It reminds me of the time he told me that I look like a dog. He’s so kind, and he thinks I’m adorable even if it’s adorable like a dog. He cares so much.

He smiled and went behind the counter. “Might as well start early if I’m gonna make you a frappe,” he said, pulling on his apron. I pulled out my phone to text the group chat.

The bell above the door rang and I looked over. I always do, despite the fact that it rings every five minutes. Usually, it’s a random person coming in to get their terrible black coffee or a scone or whatever middle-aged moms order, but this time it was someone who wasn’t a middle-aged mom. It was a teenage boy. And his name was Andrew.

“Hey, Andrew, what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m getting coffee at this coffee shop,” he said. “Are you doing something different?”

“I’m getting five hours worth of coffee from Victor,” I said.

“That’s a lot,” Andrew said.

“Well, I don’t really like coffee that much so it’s really just two large cups of sugar milk.”

“I’ll keep you company,” Andrew said. He walked over to Victor and ordered a vanilla bean frappe. “Coffee isn’t even that great,” he said, turning around after he had paid Victor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m officially implementing an update schedule. I don’t think I can commit to daily updates, especially once I can start going places again, so I’ll update every Tuesday, Friday, and every other Sunday.
> 
> Thank you everyone for your kind comments! They mean the world to me!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sleepover and an impromptu dance party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When people tell me that they don’t have Hulu I’m just disappointed. How are you supposed to watch the best show currently on television? How are you gonna get your Anthony Turpel content, No Good Nick? Nah.  
> Side note: I watched all of the episodes of No Good Nick with Anthony Turpel.

I walked down to Victor’s apartment at noon on Friday to wish Adrien, Armando, and Isabel goodbye. I made sure that Adrien had enough snacks for the drive and threw in a few Crunch bars when no one was looking.

After checking that they had the present three times, Isabel was finally ready to leave. She gave the three of us super tight hugs and slid into the passenger seat. We waited until the car had turned the corner to go inside.

Andrew told us that he was picking the girls up from Mia’s house at five, so we had until 5:15 to do whatever we wanted.

“Felix, are you down for another episode of Modern Family?” Pilar asked.

“Pilar,” Victor said. “We have the house to ourselves for five hours and you want to watch Modern Family?”

“I kind of want to blare Whitney Houston,” she said.

“Whitney?” I asked. That’s not traditionally her style of music, and definitely not the genre she blares.

“I would do it when my parents are home,” she said. “But then they would think that they raised a functional child.” Victor shrugged and pulled out his phone. I heard the start of I Wanna Dance With Somebody coming from his bedroom.

Pilar stood up and started dancing around the kitchen. Victor smiled and offered me his hand. I took it and we danced all around the table. He spun and dipped me and by the end of the song I was breathless on multiple levels. Neither of us could stop smiling.

Dolly Parton’s Jolene started playing, so I offered my arm. I was overheated and sweaty, but we square danced anyways. If I’m being honest, I was thinking about the Imagination Movers theme song the entire time. But it’s less embarrassing to say that I was thinking about Victor.

That’s basically how we spent the next five hours. Whenever a bad song would start we would grab a glass of water and just drink. But the next song would start and we were back on our feet, still wiping the water off of our faces.

I was killing the choreography to Single Ladies when the door opened. Andrew, Lake, and Mia walked inside. Victor paused the music.

“Hey guys,” he said. “Andrew, I don’t think you’ve been here before, so I’ll give you the tour.” They walked into the hallway leaving me in the living room with Lake, Mia, and Pilar.

“I was gonna make shrimp,” Mia said and walked into the kitchen holding a paper grocery bag.

Pilar, Lake, and I sat down on the couch. “Single Ladies?” Lake asked.

“Well I’m single, and I love Beyoncé,” I said.

“How long are you going to stay single?” Lake asked. “What about Wendy? She’s the sweetest thing.” Pilar laughed.

“Um, I have a suspicion that I’ll be single for a while.”

“Not if you weren’t a coward,” Pilar said. I turned my head around and she was smiling innocently.

“Do you have a crush on someone?” Lake asked. Thanks a lot, Pilar. I twirled my finger through a strand of my hair.

“Maybe?” Pilar smacked her forehead. “But I’m never gonna do anything about it and one day I’ll die.”

“Felix, you know who I like,” Lake said. That is true. I turned around to check the progress of the tour. They were still in Adrian’s bedroom.

“Well, he’s kind of in this building right now.”

“So I’m going to assume that means Victor, but you do realize that makes Andrew a possibility, right?”

“It’s not Andrew. He’s been making up for the past, but it’s not enough yet.”

“So Victor,” Lake said. “Intriguing. So you’re gay?”

“Well, bi,” I said. “I’ve known that much since sixth grade.”

“Damn,” Pilar said. “In sixth grade, I didn’t know whether or not I liked hummus.”

“Well did you?” Lake asked.

“Hell no,” she said. “Hummus is trash.”

“Who insulted hummus?” Andrew asked, walking into the living room.

“Who are you, hummus’s older brother?” Pilar asked. Everyone laughed except for Mia in the kitchen.

After dinner, we all gathered in the living room for Truth or Dare. It felt very middle school, but it’s not like I played at all during middle school. Lake and Mia played, without a doubt.

“Okay,” Lake said. “We’re doing random number generator and no chicken outs. Call a number 1-6. I’m four.”

“I’ll be two,” I said. Victor got six, Mia got one, Andrew got five, and Pilar got three. Lake pressed a button on her phone.

“Andrew, truth, or dare?”

“I’ll go dare,” he said.

“I dare you to speak in rhymes for the rest of this game,” Lake said. Andrew sighed.

“That I will do, Lake. A challenge of this game do you make.” Lake smiled and passed Andrew her phone.

“Felix, I’m going to make this fair. Is your selection truth, or is it dare?”

“Uh, truth?” Pilar turned and gave me a look. I shouldn’t have picked it, but I didn’t want to see what Andrew’s idea of a dare was.

“Not to sound like a typical Nancy, but who is it that you currently fancy?” Pilar and Lake shared a look.

“So what was that no chicken outs rule?” I asked.

“Sorry, Lix,” Lake said. Victor looked over at me.

“You like someone? Why don’t I know?”

“Well, I didn’t want to tell Lake and Pilar, but they are very persuasive.”

“You told my sister and not me?” He looked so hurt. I could feel my heart shatter. In any other circumstance I would have told him. I tell him everything.

“Not to interject,” Andrew said. “But Felix hasn’t answered the question, correct?” Lake grabbed my hand and squeezed.

“Just tell him,” she said. Pilar started smiling.

“Um, I didn’t want to tell you like this, but, um, can you turn around?” Victor smiled and turned around. His dopey, toothy smile. And it made it so much easier.

“I’ve had a crush on you for a while, and I would have preferred to tell you on my terms, but,” I rambled. Victor turned around and tackled me in a hug.

“This moment is great, and I mean no hate, but the game does await,” Andrew said. He handed me Lake’s phone and I pressed the button to generate a number. I got one.

“Mia, truth, or dare?”

“Dare,” she said. Lake scoffed.

“I dare you to wear Isabel’s clothes for the rest of the game.” Mia stood up and walked to Isabel and Armando’s room with no complaints.

The room was awfully silent while Mia was changing. I could feel how warm my face was and knew that I was blushing. I looked over at Victor who still had a big smile on his face. He pulled me into his lap and started playing with my hair.

“I told you that you shouldn’t be a coward,” Pilar said.

“Well, I was still technically a coward. I was forced into telling him.”

“The honor belongs to me,” Andrew said. “Truly, Lake has cursed me. I spend a large sum of time deciding how to speak without crime.”

“You could have picked truth,” Lake said.

“I could have, yes, but I did not want to tell Mia that I like more than her dress.” Lake and I made eye contact.

“I’ve got bad news for you, buddy. Mia has actually been taken for a week.” I could feel Victor’s spine straighten.

“I broke up with her a week ago,” he said.

“And she was single for like, two hours before we did Barbara Streisand on Just Dance.”

“Lake, that’s amazing,” I said. “How’d it happen?”

“Well,” Mia said from behind us. “I asked why she broke up with you.” She walked into the living room wearing a light pink t-shirt and a black knee length skirt. She looked at me and walked over to sit in Lake’s lap.

“I am not sitting in Andrew’s lap,” Pilar said. “You can’t make me.” I laughed.

“I know that you’re talking crap, but it would be me who sits in your lap.”

“Try it, Dr. Seuss,” Pilar said. Andrew stood up and walked over to Pilar. He sat in her lap. “This is terrible, Victor, you chose this?”

“Felix is tiny,” he said. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt safe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning after the sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I keep forgetting to mention this, but if you haven’t listened to Rainbow Boy by Keiynan Lonsdale (Bram Greenfeld) you should probably do that immediately.

We all slept in the living room, which seemed like a good idea until Lake woke me up at 4:30. “Felix, wake up, it’s important.” Everyone else was still sleeping.

“What could possibly be important at 4:30 in the morning?” I asked.

“You need to dance to Single Ladies for the last time before you and Victor make it official.” Ugh. I don’t know what I expected.

“We can’t do that when we wake up?”

“No, we have to do it before Victor wakes up.”  
“But you aren’t even allowed to dance to it,” I said. She groaned and grabbed my hand to pull me off of the floor.

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go to the kitchen.” I walked with her into the immaculate kitchen. Mia has insisted on cleaning up after dinner.

I pulled out my phone and made sure that the volume was low so as not to wake everyone up. Lake sat at my spot at the table and grabbed my phone from me. She pressed play and I started dancing. She was whisper cheering me on. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive ex girlfriend.

The song ended and she closed out of my Pandora before the next song could play. I gave her a hug and we walked into the living room to go back to sleep.

I slid under my blanket and Victor shifted next to me. I panicked, thinking that I had woken him up. He was just rolling over. I looked over at him. His hair was fluffy and his face was entirely calm. I smiled and laid my head on the pillow to go back to sleep.

I woke up at 9:30. I have this curse where I’m always the first one awake at sleepovers. Most of the time, it’s really awkward because you have to sit there staring at the other person sleeping until they wake up and you have to pretend that you’re just waking up, and it’s a whole ordeal. But at the Salazars’ I’m comfortable to walk around the house and I don’t have to fear leaving a guest alone in my house.

I got up and walked into the kitchen to make myself some Eggos. The Eggos are in the freezer next to the frozen berries so that Victor and I can make breakfast at the same time. But I usually make my breakfast before he wakes up.  
I had just put my waffles in the toaster when Mia walked into the kitchen.

“You’re awake,” I said.

“Don’t be surprised, I fell asleep halfway through To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” she said.

“I’d let Noah Centineo ruin my life,” I said.

“Cheers to that,” Mia said and gave me a high five.

“Are you bi?”

“I think so,” she said. “I definitely like Lake.” After she said that, the conversation felt weird. I think we both realized at the same time that we were involved with each other’s exes.

“So, breakfast?” I asked. 

“I was planning on a smoothie, but there are currently four people sleeping in the next room.” My Eggos popped, so I put them on my plate. I walked over to my spot and sat down.

Andrew walked into the kitchen. “Morning,” he said. It was actually more of a two syllables grunt. I saw the pits under his eyes and remembered that he was one of the last ones asleep. And he’s apparently not a morning person.

“I know you don’t like it, but Isabel keeps coffee above the fridge,” I said.

“Y’all have tea?” he asked. I nodded.

“Next to the spice rack. But they don’t have kettle. I could run upstairs and get you one.” It would be a violation of my “don’t go home on Saturdays” rule, but it’s the best way to prepare tea.

“I’ll use the Keurig,” Andrew said and grabbed a mug out of the cabinet.

I was fully immersed in my Eggos. So much so that I didn’t hear anyone enter the kitchen. I felt arms wrap around me from behind. I smelled mint of smiled. I’d know the smell of his mint body wash anywhere.

I turned around and saw Victor. I got out of my chair to hug him. “Lake would kill me if I used the blender right now, right?”

“If she could get to you before Pilar,” Andrew said. “She was awake when I fell asleep. I think she turned on Modern Family.”

“She better not have,” I said. “That’s our show.” Victor smiled and kissed me on the forehead. I melted.

“She wouldn’t dare,” he said.

“Y’all are cheesy,” Andrew said.

“Says the one who cried during High School Musical Three: Senior Year,” Victor said. Mia looked shocked.

“Not only did I miss High School Musical, but I missed Andrew crying?”

“He’s only 32.7 miles away from Gabriella,” Andrew said. He had his cup of tea in his hand, half gone. He was already woken up, I didn’t realize that caffeine could work that quickly.

“Don’t go to bed at nine next time,” I offered. Mia rolled her eyes and sat down at the table across from me in Victor’s spot. I was about to say something when Victor sat down next to me in his dad’s spot. He grabbed my left hand and looked at me.

I swear, I might die the next time he smiles at me. He’s the cutest person in the world, and that includes Noah Centineo.

“You know,” he said. “I would steal your raspberry if it wasn’t submerged in whipped cream.”

“There’s a whole box of dairy-free raspberries in the fridge,” I said.

“It’s different.” Andrew day down in Adrian’s spot with his cup of tea.

Pilar walked into the kitchen with Lake at her heels. “What the Hell were you two doing at 4:30 in the morning?” she asked. Lake started laughing.

“Dancing,” I said in the most serious tone I could muster. I looked at Lake’s face and I couldn’t contain my laughter. What a ridiculous thing to be doing at 4:30 in the morning. “It was important.”

“Is that why I had a dream about Beyoncé?” Andrew asked. Lake and I just laughed even harder. “You see, I was at her wedding, but Jay-Z was the one throwing the bouquet. I caught it and was immediately trampled by thirty angry women.”

“Y’all were dancing to Single Ladies?” Pilar asked.

“You got that from Andrew’s weird dream?” Lake asked.

“Well, she’s not wrong,” I said. “And it’s a good song.”

“Not her best,” Andrew said. “I’m a Dangerously in Love kind of guy.”

After Victor and Mia has their smoothies, we all went outside. I didn’t expect it to be so bright, in my mind I was dawn.

There’s a vacant park next to the apartment complex that Victor and I have picnicked at before. That was a fun Saturday. I think Adrian’s favorite shirt is still grass stained.

We decided on Monday that we were going to teach Andrew how to do a cartwheel. For as athletic as he is, cartwheels have never crossed his mind. 

Mia and Pilar kind of took over teaching, so Lake, Victor, and I sat under an oak tree watching. 

“Hey, Felix,” Victor said. “So we didn’t really talk about this last night, but are you like, my boyfriend now?” 

“Um, do you want me to be?” I’ve never understood The whole “I like you you like me let’s hang out all the time and do coupley things but we’re not dating” thing. Is it really that hard to be in a relationship? I did that with Lake for a little bit, but that’s a different thing. 

“Of course,” Victor said. He ran his fingers through my hair. I hadn’t brushed or combed it, I was in the kitchen all morning. 

Lake tapped my shoulder. “My God,” she said. “I think he’s got it.” Victor and I both turned our heads to see. 

Andrew has his arms in the air. In one swift motion he did a very graceful cartwheel. He landed with his arms up, which he then snapped to his sides. We all applauded. 

“That was amazing,” Lake said. “You did tell us that you would have us back at Mia’s by noon.” Andrew grabbed his keys from the ground next to Victor. 

“Victor, are you working on Monday?” he asked. 

“Nine to noon,” Victor responded. 

“I’ll see you there,” Andrew said. “And by the way, you two are the cutest thing.” 

“Rude,” Lake said from the passenger seat of Andrew’s unlocked car. “Mia and I are absolutely adorable in every way.” I could see Mia smiling in the back seat. 

Andrew rolled his eyes and ran over to his car. He got in the driver’s seat and drove away. I could hear Lake yelling at him to buckle his seat belt all the way down the road.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monday at Brasstown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels so weird to not be posting daily. Sometimes I have like three chapters ready to go. It’s wild.

Lake, Mia, and I all sat down at our usual table on Monday. I took my backpack off and slid it under the table instead of putting it on the chair next to me like I usually would.

Victor was so worried about being late. I had offered to pick Lake and Mia up from Mia’s house, but we left earlier. We still ended up getting to Brasstown at 8:45, so Victor sat down next to Mia.

“Hey, guys, I just got a text from an unknown number inviting me to a party on Friday,” he said.

“Probably a wrong number,” Mia said. Victor shook his head.

“They used my name.” Lake grabbed his phone.

“What’s the address?” she said slowly while typing. “Send.” We heard the blood of an incoming text right away. Victor grabbed his phone back.

“Do you guys recognize this address?” he asked. He passed his phone around the table. I don’t know too much about Atlanta, despite having lived there my whole life, but I knew this area.

“That’s a super suburban area,” I said. “I think Katie Ellis lives in that neighborhood.”

“She does,” Mia said. “It’s all these five-bedroom houses with two-car garages. It’s like five minutes away from the school.”

“Mia, you have five bedrooms,” Victor said.

“But with a three-car garage and a pool.”

“Guys,” Lake said. “I think that’s the Spiers’ house.”

“Why would they invite me?” Victor asked. “I only know Simon and he lives in New York.” Lake grabbed his phone again.

“Is this Eleanor Spier?” she typed. After a second she nodded. “It’s Nora, I think she’s a junior.”

“So how does she know me?” Victor asked. “And how did she get my number? Simon doesn’t even have it.”

“That would be me.” We all turned. Apparently, I haven’t been paying attention to the bell above the door. Andrew walked over and sat down next to me. “Simon and Bram are here for Spring Break, his parents are going to a lecture on Friday. Simon told Nora to get you to the party so she approached me.”

“Aw, I’ve missed Bram,” Victor said. “He’s really easy to beat at basketball. Truly a soccer kid.” He stood up and checked his phone. “8:55, I’m gonna get started.”

The four of us gave him our orders—that he already had memorized—and started talking about High School Musical.

At noon, Victor took off his apron and walked over to the table. We were in the midst of a discussion about Noah Centineo, mostly because Lake was speaking ill of him and Mia and I were not having it. Andrew occasionally chimes in whenever Lake tried to bring up To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Which, as anyone can agree, is a fantastic film.

“Noah Centineo is the inferior Jesus Adams Foster,” Victor said.

“You just think that because Max Russo was your gay awakening,” I said.

“Really?” Lake asked. “That’s really weird because Alex Russo was my gay awakening.”

“Selena Gomez?” Andrew laughed. “Is that why you had that Princess Protection Program lunch box in first grade?”

“Your memory is a wild place, Andrew,” Mia said. I stood up to non-confrontationally tell everyone that it’s time to go. The last time that Victor tried to chat with us after his shift Sarah got mad at him for loitering. 

We started to walk away and Andrew stopped me. “You forgot this,” he said. He handed me my backpack. I smiled and everyone piled into my car. Andrew waved and walked over to his car.

“Hey, do you guys want to hang out at my place?” Mia asked.

“My parents are gonna be back in a few hours, but you can come to mine,” Victor said. I stayed silent in the driver’s seat. I had planned to watch Modern Family with Pilar and Victor, but I had the rest of Spring Break for that. Only without cuddling because his parents will be home. But it’s fine.

“That works,” Lake said.

“Okay, but Felix has to have me home by seven,” Mia said. “Veronica’s parents are coming.” I put the car in reverse and backed out of my parking space. I drove out of the parking lot, following Andrew’s car. I felt kind of bad, but I didn’t say anything. After all, he isn’t necessarily a part of our little group, and he probably had plans, and it’s not my apartment.

We really don’t live too far away from Brasstown. Mia lives farther away, so the drive back was much shorter than the drive there.

We walked into the apartment to I Will Always Love You. The volume was extremely loud. I was surprised my mom hadn’t texted me about it.

Pilar came running out of her room after she paused her music. “I thought you weren’t going to be back for another twenty minutes,” she said, pulling me into a hug.

“Wow, rude,” Victor said. “You hug your brother’s boyfriend before you hug your brother?” I felt a little tingle in my stomach when he said the word ‘boyfriend.’ It’s just one little thing that makes me more than a little happy.

“That’s probably because Felix doesn’t listen to Baby Shark on the other side of my wall at midnight,” Pilar said, hugging Victor. Lake laughed. “So why are you guys early?”

“We didn’t have to drop off Lake and Mia,” I said.

“You know that Mom and Dad are going to be home at five, right?”

“I texted Mom,” Victor said. “She said it’s fine as long as they don’t sleepover.” Pilar shrugged and sat down on the couch.

For someone with three to five friends, I certainly have an active social life. I go get coffee at least four days a week with them, I’ve gone to multiple parties in the past two months (most of which are at Mia’s) and well known by everyone at school. Sometimes people strike up conversations with me in the hallway, even though I don’t know them. And no one has called me Lone Stone in weeks.

Lake sat down in the armchair and crossed her hands in her lap. “So you guys are technically official,” she said. “But are you ready to be Creeksecrets official?”

“That’s entirely up to Felix,” Victor said. “I’m anti-Creeksecrets, but pro-coming out.”

I think most people have assumed that I’m queer. But I’m not the biggest fan of Creeksecrets. Don’t get me wrong, I check it constantly. I just don’t like how people turn it into a way to anonymously tell their friend’s secrets. But I do lie reading them. I’m always thirsty for tea.

“Why not?” Lake smiled and pulled out her phone.

“So I’ve got plenty of pictures of you two, but could I get a picture of you two kissing?” she asked. “To prove it’s not made up.”

Victor and I were still standing in the doorway with Mia. We hadn’t kissed yet, mostly because we spent all weekend watching Modern Family. Mia went and sat down on the opposite side of the couch from Pilar.

Victor turned to look at me. “Can I kiss you?” he asked. This boy, I swear. Perfect in every way. Consent is the cutest thing in the world.

“Of course,” I said. He grabbed my face with his hands and kissed me.

The boy who smells like mint tastes like coffee. His lips are soft, but not unnaturally so. And his hands perfectly fit my face. I kiss him back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end to a weekend without parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might be projecting myself onto Felix. I don’t think I’ve messed with his characterization too much, but I’ve definitely given him some of my quirks. Whoops.

Lake goes crazy when she has caffeine. Of course, I already knew this, to some extent, but she had way more coffee than usual. She was off the walls, an absolute mad lad. It was humorous, so we didn’t stop her.

“So I’ve been thinking,” she said. “We should make chocolate cupcakes.”

“And how long have you been thinking this?” Mia asked.

“Two seconds.”

“You guys are leaving in an hour and a half,” Victor said. We’re leaving at 6:30, so quick math-

I looked at the clock. 5:02. “It’s already five?”

Almost cinematically, I hear a car door slam shut. All five of us ran to the window—Lake more enthusiastically than the rest of us—to see Adrian step out of the car. The official end to a weekend alone with my boyfriend. That started halfway through Saturday and ended Monday evening and all we did was kiss.

Before they could come upstairs, I had to kiss Victor. I knew that nothing could happen between us while parents were home. “Can I kiss you?” I asked.

Victor didn’t even answer, he just wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. I felt a flutter in my stomach that I hoped would never go away. And seeing his big brown eyes wrinkle with his smile as he pulled away only made the flutter stronger.

The door opened and our arms flew to our sides. You have to hand it to Armando, he could never sneak up on someone.

Adrian run over to give me a hug. “What is with you two?” Victor asked with a laugh. “Your big siblings haven’t seen you in a week.” Adrian stick his tongue out and kept hugging me.

“Felix lets me listen to Beyoncé, not Baby Shark.”

“I have never played Beyoncé for you,” I said. He’s like nine. Or three. I should really know this.

“When you drove me to school?” I should really pay attention to my playlists. When did I drive Adrian to school?

Isabel set her suitcase down next to the door and gave Victor a hug. “How was your weekend?” she asked.

Victor looked over at me and smiled. “Amazing.”

When I walked back into the apartment after dropping off Lake and Mia, I had another guest with me. I opened the door for the two of us. “Pizza’s here!” I yelled, loud enough for them to hear me from the kitchen.

Victor ran over and grabbed the pizzas. After he paid, the pizza person left.

“Hi,” Victor said. Smiling. I wanted to kiss him, but it’s just too risky.

“Hi,” I said back. He grabbed my hand with the hand that wasn’t hugging the pizzas. We didn’t need to say anything. It was kind of perfect to be standing there, just staring at each other over a stack of pizzas.

We walked into the kitchen where Isabel informed me that it was my turn to say grace. I’m not really religious, but I say grace when it’s my turn. It makes me feel included, even though everything else they do makes me feel included. I was even invited to a family wedding, but that was weird, even for me. And what harm can come from saying grace? If Hell is real, it’s just a little less of a chance that I’ll end up there.

As a disclaimer, I’m very bad at saying grace. I don’t know what should be blessed and what shouldn’t. All I know is always bless the food.

“Bless this food before us,” I started. Heck yeah, full points. “And bless the path we walk in life. Bless our meal we are about to eat and fill our lives with the joy we find in each other. Amen.” Good enough.

The days were ticking down until Friday. Pilar didn’t want to go, I’m pretty sure she was excited to watch something other than Modern Family.

I was really excited. Victor and I spent most of our evenings in his room, me laying in his lap while he plays with my hair, and he tells me about his time in New York. The gay bar, the roommates, everything.

And then it was Friday. I spent all morning in my bedroom deciding what to wear. I was about to grab a hoodie off of a hanger when I noticed Victor’s denim jacket next to it.

I had no clue how it had gotten there, but I had no doubt it was Victor’s. It smelled like mint and had the tiniest pink smoothie stain on the sleeve. It was small enough that I didn’t notice it until I thought to look for it. I put it on and walked downstairs.

Victor and I met up in front of the building. He walked out of the door and laughed. “Where did you find that?”

“This is going to sound strange, but it was in my closet.”

“Probably got mixed in with your laundry,” he said. “It looks really good on you.”

“Really?” I asked. It’s a bit big, but seems to fit Victor just fine. I guess he’s Simon sized.

“Phenomenal. But I want it back tomorrow.”

“Deal.” We walked over to my car together and drove to the Spier household.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Partying with the gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I wanted to write this chapter, I had no motivation this week to do anything but walk around my house listening to The Adventure Zone, so it’s pretty short.

We walked in and quickly realized that Nora had an odd understanding of the word “party.” There were a few people sitting at the kitchen table and around ten people in the living room. My kind of party.

Two guys that I instantly recognized walked over to us from the stairs the second we walked in the door. “Victor, you look amazing!” They both hugged him.

“Hey guys, this is Felix, Felix, these are Simon and Bram,” Victor said. I smiled and Bram smiled back.

“The infamous Felix,” Bram said. “Victor would not stop talking about you in New York.” I looked over at Victor who looked a little embarrassed.

“I like your jacket,” Simon said. I associated this jacket with Victor so much that I had forgotten where he got it from.

“I don’t,” Bram said. “Nothing personal.”  
The door opened behind us and Andrew, Lake, and Mia walked in. Andrew and Lake looked disappointed at the number of people in the building. Mia looked excited.

“Hey guys, these are Bram and Simon.” Victor gestured to them. I think he assumes that none of us follow Simon’s Instagram, where he posts pictures of Bram daily.

“I’m Mia,” Mia said, extending her hand.

“Miss Mia,” Bram said. “A pleasure to put a face to the name.”

“He doesn’t usually talk like this,” Simon said. “I would blame it on the flight if that wasn’t a week ago.”

“I’m Lake and this is Andrew,” Lake said. “Does it feel weird to be the only adults in the house?”

“Okay, I get that we’re legally adults, but last night Simon started a small fire trying to make an Oreo milkshake,” Bram said. Simon rolled his eyes.

“Nora didn’t tell me that the blender was broken,” Simon said.

Simon showed us to the kitchen and pointed out where to find all of the snacks. “Sorry, Victor, we have mostly Oreos.”

“Oreos are vegan,” Victor said. “There is a possibility of trace amounts of milk, but the actual ingredients are dairy-free.” I’ve heard this thousands of times. Pilar makes fun of him for eating Milk’s Favorite Cookie.  
“At least you can eat a healthy, all Oreo diet,” Simon said.

“But don’t eat deep-fried Oreos,” Bram said. “Trust me.”

We were all sitting at the kitchen counter when Andrew’s spine straightened.

“Oh my God, we need to play basketball,” he said. “Victor said it’s a necessity.”

“I’m out,” I said. “I have the basketball talent of a moldy grapefruit.”

“Me too,” Simon said. “I can’t even dribble the ball.”

“I’ll be Lake’s cheerleader, but you’re not getting me on the court,” Mia said. “I’m two feet tall.”

“I’m barely taller than you,” Lake said.

“That works,” Andrew said. “Two on two. Victor and I versus Bram and Lake.”

“There’s a court down the street,” Simon said. “Bram, do you wanna show the players down? I’ll get four water bottles ready.”

Bram, Victor, Andrew, and Lake left the house, and Mia, Simon, and I stayed in the kitchen.

Simon banded Mia the Brita filter. She started pouring the water bottles.

“You know,” Simon said. “I’m impressed.”

“By my ability to pour water?” Mia asked.  
“No, of course not. I could barely admit to myself that I was gay until junior year, despite knowing since middle school. You all are so comfortable in your sexualities as sophomores.”

“Well, you changed things for Creekwood,” Mia said.

“Yeah, I remember hearing about you in eighth grade and feeling so validated.” I was actually at the Winter Carnival, but I was insistent on riding the Tilt-a-Whirl. While everyone else was cheering, I was throwing up.

“I always forget how young you guys are,” Simon said.

“Yeah, we were middle school when you had your moment. Now it’s our moment.” Mia tightened the lid on the last water bottle. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Simon said. “I can’t believe we’re all dating athletic people.”

“You know, oddly enough, Bram is the only person on that court that I haven’t kissed,” Mia said. “Do I have a type?”

“You fell for Victor with that standing piano joke and you know it,” I said.

“And you fell for Victor when?”

“The same standing piano joke.” Simon walked us out the door to show us to the court.

They were all sitting on a bench waiting for us when we got there. Victor stood up and walked over to me. He grabbed a water bottle from my left hand and kissed me on the forehead. “You’re cheering for me, right?”

“I don’t like you enough,” I said. He rolled his eyes and squeezed my hand.

“I feel like this is unfair,” Andrew said. “We have two audience members on their side and only one on ours.”

“That’s to make up for the fact that you two are star basketball players and Lake and I have never been on a basketball team.”

“I’ll have you know,” Lake said. “That Mia and I got really good at the choreo for Getcha’ Head in the Game in seventh grade.”

“It was because of Zac Efron,” Mia said. “I probably would have lost my mind if I hadn’t fallen asleep before High School Musical last weekend.”

“Andrew did lose his mind,” Victor reminded us.

“32.7 miles, Victor,” Andrew said. “And must we forget Felix watching To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before?”

“Noah Centineo might be the 2020 Zac Efron,” I said.

“Let’s start the game before Felix loses it over Noah Centineo again,” Lake said.

The three of us sat back and watched the sleep-deprived basketball game. And I finally understood the hype for parties. If only all parties felt like this.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend is going to tell me something soon and I’m really nervous. It’s either going to be really good or really bad so I’m scared???

After checking with our parents and Simon’s parents, Victor and I were ready to stay the night. Simon was letting us borrow some pajama pants so that we wouldn’t have to sleep in jeans. And just like the denim jacket, they fit Victor perfectly and were a little big on me.

“If you guys need anything in the middle of the night, the bathroom is just down the hall, the kitchen is downstairs, and my bedroom is off-limits for anything other than fire.” Simon smiled and showed us the guest room.

“He needs at least ten hours of uninterrupted sleep or he turns into a zombie,” Bram said. “It’s very difficult to wake up at seven in the morning.”

“Remember when you tried to wake him up before my bus left?” Victor asked.

“It was four in the morning and we didn’t get home until after midnight,” Simon said.

“That’s Ivy’s normal sleep schedule,” Bram said, wrapping his arm around Simon’s shoulders. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.” They turned around and walked to Simon’s bedroom.

We walked into the guest room and quickly noticed how much bigger it was than our bedrooms. Actually, my first thought was Victor’s bedroom, but I’ve been spending the majority of my time there.

I took off the denim jacket and put it on the bedpost. I sat down on one side of the bed. “I can't believe you talked about me in New York,” I said. “I thought you told me every second in detail. I know Bram’s middle name.”

“Louis,” he said. “But I did talk about you. A lot. I never told you why I went to New York?”

“No, I assumed Simon invited you.”

“He hypothetically invited me. I bought a bus ticket after that night with Mia. You were so passionate about Catan, it was adorable.”

“I’m passionate about everything,” I said. I tried to say it in a nonchalant manner, but a smile crept to my face. It wasn’t one-sided pining.

“So when I messaged Simon like usual, I was just going to tell him about what went down with Mia, but then I walked downstairs.”

“What happened down—oh.” I kissed Lake.

“Yeah. Simon told me that he wished I was in New York so that he could give me a hug. I got my hug.”

“I’ll give you another hug,” I said and reached across the bed to hug him.

I hate my sleepover curse. Apparently, Bram gets up at seven every morning. So, of course, I was awake at 6:45.

Simon did tell us that we can go to the kitchen at any time. I got up as quietly as possible so that I didn’t wake Victor up. He’s not a light sleeper, but I’ve always tried to be considerate about my curse.

The Spier pantry is packed full of Oreos. Double Stuff, golden, even leftover Christmas Oreos. I’m not the type of person who cares about having breakfast food for breakfast, but I’m also not the type of person who can eat Oreos for every meal.

I sat at the table and opened my phone. I haven’t charged it since Wednesday because I’ve barely used it. I opened Creeksecrets and was surprised to see my face. I forgot about Lake’s post. But it was still the top post after five days.

I braced myself before looking at the comments, but it wasn’t necessary. They were all positive. The first comment was signed. “I knew yesterday~Nora Spier” and a reply “I knew two days ago~Andrew Spencer.”

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and turned around to see the aforementioned Nora Spier.

“I’ve gotten so many texts about the gay sophomores,” she said. “I’m really only known as Simon’s sister.”

“But there are so many queer sophomores,” I said. “Why is it a big deal?”

“Because you’re popular queer sophomores. Popular kids don’t come out, and when they do, it’s not so public.”

“We’re not popular,” I said. “We spend our Saturday nights watching Tangled.”

“Victor is definitely popular,” Nora said. “He won Spring Fling King. You’re popular by association.” She opened the pantry and pushed a stack of Oreos to the side. “My mom spent over a hundred dollars on Oreos to prep for Simon’s visit and they’re already over half gone.”

“I don’t think I’ve spent over a hundred dollars eating Oreos in my entire life of eating them,” I said.

“My friend’s family spends too much on tortillas. What’s your food?”

“I practically live with the Salazars,” I said. “We eat like normal people.”

“But one food that would have to be pried out of your cold, dead hands. For me, it’s blueberries. I’m actually making blueberry pancakes if you want one.”

“Sure,” I said. “I’m gonna have to go with whipped cream. I have it on my Eggos every morning and on my ice cream every Saturday night.”

“Today’s Saturday,” she said. It is. Which means I get to spend the day with Victor.

“I love Saturdays,” I said. “My favorite day of the week.”

We heard a beeping from upstairs and Nora mumbled a string of curses. “I woke up late, I usually have breakfast ready when Bram wakes up.” My bad. I guess the curse can make people wake up later, too. “And my parents are going to wake up soon.”

“And that’s bad because?” I asked.

“I use my mom’s favorite spatula to flip the pancakes.” An odd coincidence because—

“I have a spatula in my car,” I said. 

“You have a spatula in your car but no pajamas?” she asked.

“You don’t know my life,” I said. “I just have to run upstairs and grab my keys.”

I opened the door to the guest bedroom. Victor must be a lighter sleeper than I thought, he woke up when I opened the door. His eyes opened and he smiled when he saw me. “Hey, Flower,” he said.

“Flower?” I asked with a laugh.

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s a nickname. It’s cute and sounds like your name.”

“I like it,” I said. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t be, I like seeing your face in the early morning light.”

“Are you always this sappy early in the morning?”

“I’ve deleted many a good morning text on school days,” he said. My heart soared. We weren’t even dating until Spring Break.

When we got back to Victor’s house, Isabel stopped us at the doorway. “How was the party?” she asked.

“Party is a leap,” Victor said. “It was a few of his sister’s friends and our friend group.”

“So when am I going to meet Simon?”

“Why are you going to meet Simon?” Victor asked.

“You slept over at his house, I need to make sure he’s trustworthy.”

It took a few minutes, but eventually, we assured Isabel that she could meet Simon the next time he’s in Atlanta. We finally got out of the doorway and made our way over to the couch where Pilar was sitting.

“How was the party?” she asked. “Did you two get any alone time?”

“Party was amazing,” I said. “And of course we got alone time, we slept in the same bed.”

“That’s it?” Pilar asked. “Boring.”

“His parents were home, Pilar,” Victor said. That’s the only reason. He would be willing to get funky if Emily and Jack weren’t home. Good to know.

“Hey, Felix, we’re only two episodes away from the series finale and school starts on Monday.”

“Scoot over,” I said and sat down next to her on the couch. I put my head on her shoulder and Victor sat down next to me and put his head on my shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monday at school

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say for myself :)
> 
> In all actuality, I’ve had this written out for weeks and I couldn’t bring myself to type it up. I don’t even know why, it doesn’t require any brainpower. I felt compelled to do it today because SEASON TWO WAS ANNOUNCED BABEY
> 
> Zoom in on me anxiously refreshing my Instagram for updates on the release date

Walking into school on Monday was an experience. I thought that I was used to people staring at us, but this was different.

I held Victor’s hand all the way to his locker. Andrew ran over to us. “Mia’s having us over tonight, just the six of us,” he said.

“Six?” Victor asked.

“You two, me, her, Lake, and Pilar.”

“It's weird when your friends are friends with your sister.”

“I wouldn’t be friends with her if you didn’t make plans on Saturdays,” I said.

“Anyway,” Andrew said. “Pilar already checked with your parents. They’re fine with it.”

“You told her first?” 

“Mia texted the group chat this morning. You two are the ones who didn’t respond.”

“We were eating breakfast in the vacant lot,” I said.

“You two are literally the cutest couple in school.” I thought back to my conversation with Nora. Are we really cute or are we just popular? And why did I have a spatula in my car?

“I’ve got to run to bio,” Victor said. “I’ll see you at lunch.” He kissed me on the forehead and left.

“I’ll see you in Health?” I asked Andrew. He nodded and we both went to our separate classes.

I sat down next to Lake at the lunch table. “It’s official,” she said. “You’re no longer the top post.”

“Oh, what is it?” I asked.

“Nora posted a picture of Simon and Bram on a swing set.” She turned her phone around. They looked like small children. They were at two completely different heights and you could see the giddiness on both of their faces.

“That’s adorable.” Victor sat down next to me. Which is not his assigned spot. What are rules anymore?

“Hey Flower,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. I grabbed his yogurt off of his tray. He grabbed my apple.

“I hope that’s in reference to the plant and not baking ingredient,” Lake said.

“The other candidate was corn starch, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it,” Victor said.

“That’s terrible, I’m using it.” Mia sat down next to Lake.

“Hey, are you guys coming tonight?” she asked.

“Of course they are, Corn Starch,” Lake said.

“I’ll unpack that later. I just found out that Veronica is going to be home tonight.”

“It’s a Monday,” I said. “Was the plan to do something we can’t do with adults around?”

“No, but she doesn’t know that Lake and I are dating.”

“Does she know that we broke up?” Victor asked.

“Yeah, I told her when Lake went home that day.”

“Does she know why you broke up?” I asked.

“Yeah, I told her when she asked why I wasn’t upset. I think she’s fine with it, but I don’t know about my dad.” I can’t imagine. I came out to my mom when I was 13. I’ve always told her everything, she was so accepting. Mia, Lake, and Victor don’t have the best parents. The closest I can come is worrying about Isabel and Armando who have become my second set of parents.

“Does she know we're dating?” Victor asked

“Good question,” Mia said. “I don’t think so, but she’ll know tonight. You don’t have to hide anything.”

“Thank God,” Victor said. “I would be really hard considering how cute he is.” He wrapped his arms around me.

We walked into Health and saw the desks in groups of four instead of our usual rows. A seating chart was projected onto the board.

“How have I never noticed that Nora is in this class?” Victor asked. I was still looking for my awkward school photo. In the history of the world, no one has ever taken a good school photo.

I saw my picture, Nora’s picture, and Victor’s picture all at once. The three of us are in the front at a table with Andrew. Victor gets a basketball picture because he moved in the middle of the year. So he has a cute school photo.

I sat down in my spot. “Isn’t she a junior?”

“Yeah, I am,” she said. She sat down right across from me. “I couldn’t take tenth-grade health last year because they only offered it during second and third period, but that’s when I was in Chemistry and Pre-Calc.”

“You were in Chemistry and Pre-Calc as a sophomore?” I asked.

“I’m the smart sibling,” she said. “Bram and I are constantly explaining Shakespeare to Si.”

“Adrian’s the smart sibling,” Victor and I said to each other, which prompted a laugh from Nora.

“It must be painfully obvious if you say it in unison,” she said.

“Oh, it is,” Victor said. “My dad calls him ‘the retirement plan.’”

“Last week he corrected my algebra homework,” I said. “He’s nine.”

“Kids are getting smarter,” Nora said. “My second-grade cousin asked for help with his long division homework.”

Ms. Thomas walked into the classroom holding a tray of five coffees. “These are all for me,” she said, setting them on her desk. “You have a big group project due the last week of school. Your instructions are in front of you.”

The bell rang to start class. Andrew ran in the door about two seconds later.

“Do you have a pass?” Ms. Thomas asked.

“I was in the bathroom.”

“I’m not going to mark you tardy, not because I believe you, but because I want to watch Orange Is the New Black.”

Andrew slid into the seat next to Nora. “I ran into Pilar, she wants to know if you’re working after school.”

“Yeah, I always work on Mondays, it’s the one day I don’t have basketball.”

“I’m giving her a ride to Mia’s after school, Felix do you want a ride?”

“I want to work on our project,” I said. “I’ll text you before the end of the day.” I don’t want to leave Victor alone while he’s working, he would have to sit at a table alone on his break. Like Sarah. She always looks so sad.

Nora picked up an instruction sheet and groaned. “We have to make a Sex Ed video for next year’s freshmen.”

“Freshmen don’t even take a health class,” Andrew pointed out.

“The project with the highest grade is going to be played at their orientation.”

“That won’t scar them,” Victor said sarcastically. “Welcome to Creekwood High, here’s your locker combo, your lunch pin, don’t get pregnant, here’s your school schedule.”

“Apparently it highlights safe sex,” Nora said. “We’ll be graded on accuracy and stuff, but also how entertaining our video is.”

“How are we supposed to make it entertaining?” I asked. “A reproductive rap?”

“I am a master of rhyme,” Andrew said.

“We’re not doing this again,” Victor said. “It led to you on my sister’s lap.”

“She started it, I was not about to throw a fit.”

“Technically, Victor started it when he pulled me into his lap,” I said.

“But Pilar only felt left out when Mia sat in Lake’s lap,” Victor said.

“Or it’s your parents’ fault for bringing her into the world,” Nora said. “Can we brainstorm ideas for our twelve-minute video that’s due in a little over a month?”


End file.
